Papa John’s International among the first U.S. brands to enter in Tunisia

Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA), continues to set the bar high for quality pizza not only domestically, but internationally by being among the first U.S. restaurant brands to enter Tunisia. Following Egypt, Tunisia will be only the second country in Africa to boast a Papa John’s franchise.

Just recently, Tunisia opened their borders to outside franchising. Franchisee, Mr. Sofiene Ghali, a Tunisian leader in the QSR industry, is excited to bring a high-quality hand-made pizza to his home country. Owning and operating over 25 hamburger and sandwich restaurants, Mr. Ghali knows that one of the first U.S. restaurant brands to enter Tunisia should satisfy what the citizens are craving – high quality, freshly made pizza.

“We are honored to be a part of bringing Papa John’s to Tunisia. There is a strong demand for high-quality pizzas and friendly service, said Mr. Ghali, owner and operator of the Papa John’s in Tunis, Tunisia. “Papa John’s original hand-tossed fresh, never frozen dough, fresh-packed tomato sauce and high quality cheese made from mozzarella make a truly better pizza.”

“The Papa John’s brand continues to grow in Northern Africa and we are pleased to partner with Mr. Ghali as he opens his first restaurant in Tunis, Tunisia,” said Tim O’Hern, Senior Vice President & Chief Development Officer of Papa John’s International, Inc. “We are looking forward to introducing everyone in Tunisia to our quality ingredients and better pizza.”

As Papa John’s continues to build relationships internationally, the partnership with Mr. Ghali will mark the start of Papa John’s expansion into Northern Africa, including plans to open another restaurant in Morocco later this summer. With regard to European growth, Papa John’s recently opened its first restaurant in Northeastern France in late May 2016 and anticipates continued growth in the region.